Distillation of hydrocarbon oil



11, 1934- Y M. G. PAULUS DISTILLATION 0F HYDROCARBON QIL Filed Oct. 11. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 V relented Dec. 11,1934 I v t 2 WW s[Pun-mince;-

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G. Pauline, Casper, Wyn, assiznor to Stand? crd Oil Comneny, Whiting, 11111.; a corporation of llndiane Application (lctohcr n, rose, W No. 48cm 5 Claim. (on, ltd-:49)

, I The present invention relates to the distillation suitable oil container, preferably a horizontal, or hvdrocerhon oils and refers more particularly cylindrical shell or still adapted to withstand to the distillation of such oils under superutmoshigh internal pressure and to contain e subpheric pressure for the production of lower boilstnntiel body of oil undergoing treatment; The I 5 his hydrocarbon. oils from relatively higher boi1= shell or still 5 is mounted upon u suitable furnace 5 ins; hydrocarbon oils. -'llie invention is particu= setting 6, and is protected from the direct heet lerly concerned with on improved method and therefrom. Within the furnace setting there apparatus for sepmeting from heavy residual are provided a lerge number or bank of inclined. product-2, produced in such e distillation prccese, tubes 7, the lower ends oi which communicate to lower looiling products which are of the with or lower header 8 end the upper ends of lo tyne desired es the final low boiling product which communicate with an upper header 9. end/or or the type which may be subjected to Thelower header ecommunicates withe vertical lurrher pressure distillation and thereby conpipe 1o which extends upwerdlk out of the fur verted into the desired low boiling oils. nece eetting through the well of the shell 5 end 5 The inventionwill belully understood from the for a. short distance thcreinto, The upper end following detailed description in conjunction with of this tube or pipe wlorms e sent for to closure the accompanying drawings, in which: member ll mounted on the stem of e rod; 12

Figure 1 illustrates, partly-in section end in threaded through e loose it on the upper pert pert diewornrneticelly, epperctus suitable for of the shell 5;, the rod being operated by u hand.

carrying out the invention; and wheel M. It is readily enperent that, by opere- 2o 2 i enlarged vertical ectional iew or tion of the rod l2, the upper end of the tube cppurutus employed for separating? lighter r pip l th y he closed p v mm aregooroue products from the residual products. or tion with the contents or the shell 5 or may be the distillation operation, opened to nemit free communication therewith.

The cppurutus ehowninhig. l'of thedruwingc "Elie upper header 9 lihewiee communicates 5 is or the type described in e, co-pending npplicnupright nine or tube 15 which enters the tion oi m re-eh end cthers,.Seriel No. 253,9?6, filed Sh ll 5- The nine 15 is surmounted by a hood or Fehrunr' 13, 192%. In the operation, des ribed ell it, the bottom of which is below the outlet m this application, the ter or unvuporized hot oil of nine 15.

is withdrawn from the bottom of the shell-still From the upper port or the shell 5 the vepor end passed to u low prwsure chamber wherein outlet it communicates with it suitable IefllLZ' certmn or the lighter constituents thereof separate condenser or dephlegmetor it, illustrated die tenors, the remaining unveporlzed portions 111': l v ihmifllm-wndemte formed that being returned to the still for further treatment, in is -m by the p p 9 to t e inte of or removed from the system, or both. Consider= he nine W in h upp r-po i f- V p e5 .ehle diihculty due to coke formation has been uncondene'ed in the reflux condenser it are dis experienced within the low pressure eepereting hereedtc a suitable final cond ns r nd pr chnmh'er, causing the lower end of the some to u nt o lin e Such us are com o y become plugged and necessitating frequent shutmployed in the cut end crc not shown herein.

40 downs for removal of the coke. lhnve discovered From a i above t bottom of t e shell 5, 40 that this tendency of coke to plug up the l w r a conduit 20' provided withu pressure release velve end oi. thiecharnher can be entirely prevent d by 21 and control valve 22, leads to a, conduit 23, subjecting the heavy unveporized oil or ter theren f e lv form d with gradually xp nd p in to substantial ngitetion. tions and opening into e, reduced pressure drum It is to he understood, however, that the soluor chamber 24. Within the'drum 24, the conduit 45 tion of theprololem of preventing the eccurnule- 23 opens downwardly a ve e d flector 25 some tion of coke is not limited to e sepemtm t p i distance above the bottom of the drum. In the conjunction with this particular form of distilupper l 0f the drum there p vid d 8 letion oneretion, hut may be employed t a plurality of baille plates 26 of any suitable form,

gimflgf separating operation i connection th or other suitable means for preventing entrein= 5Q any other pressuredistilletion operation wherein e uni/aroused liquids y the V p rs leavheevieroils are converteolinto lighter or lower ing thevdrum. hailing oils. i The lower portion of the drum contains suit- Referring more in detail to the drawings, and able oil agitating means which may comprise a particularly to Fig. l, the numeral 5 indicates a bladedv propeller 24' carried by a, horizontal shaft 55 25. The agitator 24' is substantially spaced fromthe sides and bottom of the drum 24 and is revolved at such a speed that the oil in the bottom of the drum will be thoroughly agitated.

The shaft 25" is preferably. journaled in a suitfor the supply of a hydrocarbon oil cooling medium or for the supply of fresh oil fed to the unit. A second supply pipe-3Q entersthe upper portion ofthe tower and may be employed for supplying thereto a cooling medium of a lower range of boiling points, such as, for example, a condensate from the vapors evolved gfrom the .tower 28. From the upper portion of the tower.

a vapor conduit .31 leads to any suitable condensing means (not shown).

Condensate formed in the fractionating column or tower 28 and collected in the base thereof is withdrawn through valved pipe 32 and forced by pump 33 through the valved pipe 34 to an intermediate point inthe fractionating column 18, from which it passes, together with reflux condensate, through pipe 19 into the still 5.

From the base of the drum 24, unvaporized oil is discharged through the valved pipe 36 leading to a tarcooler or heat exchanger 41, from which the cooled unvaporized oil or tar is discharged through the line ,42.

A valved'line 3'! leads from the bottom of the still chamber 5 whereby the still may be drained. A,line 38, provided with a pressure reducing valve 39, leads from the top of the still chamber 5 and is connected to line 20 at a point beyond the pressure reducing valve 21, whereby vapors may be withdrawn from the still 5 and admixed with theheavy oil or tar withdrawn from the still through line 20.

The operation of the heretofore described apparatus is described in detail in the aforementioned application of myself and others Serial No. 253,976, with the exception of course of my novel separating drum 24 equipped with means for agitating the unvaporized heavy oils or tars therein. For the present purposes it'will sufllce to say that during operation of the apparatus, portions of the heavy unvaporized oil or ,tar formed in the large shell 5, during the distillation operation carried out-under suitable superatmospheric pressure, are withdrawn from the lower portion of the'sh'ell 5 through line 20 and passed to the drum 24 which I is maintained under substantially lower pressure,

for example, approximately atmospheric pressure.

- In the drum 24 a separation of vapors from unvaporized oil takes place, the vapors passing through conduit 27 into the column 28 whereinv they are subjected to suitable fractionation, the

heavier fractions being condensed and .passed back into the system through the line'34. The

heavy unvaporized oils or tars accumulate in the bottom of drum 24 and are withdrawn therefrom through line as from which they are discharged tial deposition of coke within the drum 24 and makes it possible to operate the drum continuously'for periods as long as six months. Without such agitation the lower end of the drum often becomes plugged up with coke within a few days and it was not possible to operate the drum for more than two or three weeks without it becoming plugged up with coke.

It will be understood thatthe present invention is applicable to flash type separation chambers for separating the more volatile fractions from the heavy residual or tarry products produced in any pressure distillation or cracking operation.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for the conversion of higher boiling hydrocarbon oils into lower boiling ones that comprises a chamber in which the oil is adapted to be maintained at cracking temperature under superatmospheric pressure, means for withdrawing vapors from said chamber, a flash chamber formed with'a conical bottom and adapted to be maintained under pressure'materially lower than that in said first named chamber, means for withdrawing residue from said first named chamher and passing it directly to said flash chamber, means for withdrawing vapors from an upper part of the flash chamber, an outlet line extending from the conical section of the flash chamber and adapted for the withdrawal of residue therefrom, a propeller element mounted within said conical section and adapted to produce movement in the residue substantially transverse to the path of the residue flowing to said outlet line to thereby prevent substantial deposition and accumulation of coke in the conical section in the path of the outflowing residue.

2. Apparatus for the conversion of higher boiling hydrocarbon oils into lower boiling ones that comprises a chamber in which the oil'ls adapted to be maintained at cracking temperature under superatmospheric pressure, means for withdrawing vapors from said chamber, a flash chamber formed with a conical bottom and adapted to be peller element mounted in said conical section on i an axis substantially transverse to that of the path of the outflowing residue and adapted to effect agitation therein to prevent substantial deposition and accumulation-of coke in the outflowing residue.

3. Apparatus for the conversion of higher boiling hydrocarbon oils into lower boiling ones that comprises a chamber in which the oil is adapted to be maintained at cracking temperature under superatmospheric pressure, means for withdrawing vapors from said chamber, a flash chamber adapted to be maintained under pressure materially lower than that in said first named chamber, means for withdrawing residue from said flrst named chamber and passing it directly to said flash chamber, outlet means disposed in the bottom portion of said flash chamber for withdraw ing unvaporized tar-like residual products from said second chamber, a restricted section in said ing means in saidrestrlcted section'immediately adjacent said outlet and disposed to impart move. ment v the path of to outgoing residual products substantially flash chamber leading to said outlet and agitat-.

transverse to the movement of said products being withdrawn from said chamber.

4. In an apparatus for treating hydrocarbon oils, a chamber adapted to contain tar-like residual products, said chamber comprising an outer shell, a section of reduced dimensions in the bottom portion of said shell, outlet means leading from said section of reduced dimensions, a shaft bearing secured to said shell, a shaft rotatably mounted in said bearing and extending into said section of reduced dimensions, agitating means secured to said shaft adjacent said outlet means and disposed to agitate the material in said section of reduced dimensions passing to said outlet, thereby preventing substantial deposition and accumulation of coke in the path of the outgoing residue.

5. In an apparatus for treating hydrocarbon oils, a chamber adapted to contain viscous tarlike residual products, said chamber comprising an outer shell, a section of reduced dimensions in the bottom portion 0! said shell, outlet means leading from said section of reduced dimensions for withdrawing tar-like residual products, a shaft bearing extending through said shell in angular relation to said outlet means, a shaft rotatably mounted in said bearing, agitating means secured to said shaft adjacent said outlet and disposed to locally agitate material passing to said outlet to thereby prevent substantial deposition'and accumulation of coke in the path of the outgoing residue.

-' MAX G. PAULUS. 

